Hollis is NCWC's game-changer

Even though North Carolina
Wesleyan's Dwayne Hollis is a defender, his teammates have gotten
used to him having the ball. Eleven career inceptions will do
that.
North Carolina Wesleyan athletics photo

Few would expect a Division III cornerback to have much in
common with a 17th-century English poet. North Carolina Wesleyan
senior Dwayne Hollis certainly would not agree with John Donne's
famous line, "No man is an island." Hollis relishes being alone on
an island on the field. Whether he is isolated as the deep man on
punt and kickoff returns, or matched up one-on-one with his
opponent's top receiver, the man who calls himself "@hollis_island"
on Twitter has the ability to change a game with one big play every
time he steps on the field.

"Having a guy like Dwayne who can flip the field position for us
on one play is definitely a blessing," said Battling Bishops head
coach Mark Henninger.

Players, especially those who only see the field on defense and
special teams, dream about the kind of game Hollis had against
Greensboro on Oct. 20. In fact, Hollis played as close to a perfect
quarter as any player can. He started the third quarter by
returning the opening kickoff of the second half 90 yards for a
touchdown. What was once a 17-0 Greensboro lead was now just 17-14.
The Bishops tied the game on a Hampus Lithen field goal with 7:42
to play in the quarter. North Carolina Wesleyan's next two
offensive plays went for touchdowns of 70 and 90 yards,
respectively. Then, Hollis put the game out of reach.

"We took their best blow in the first half, but we didn't
panic," said Hollis. "That was the craziest quarter ever."

On defense, Hollis shadowed Pride receiver Antwan Thorpe, the
top receiver in the USA South and one of the nation's leaders in
receiving yards per game. When the Pride tried to get the ball in
their top playmaker's hands after falling behind in the third
quarter, the Bishops' All-Conference cornerback had other plans.
Hollis picked off a Ryan Throndset pass and returned it 40 yards
for a touchdown. The Bishops led 38-17 with sixteen seconds to play
in the third quarter. Hollis was not finished, and the Pride did
not learn their lesson. On Greensboro's next snap, Throndset again
looked for Thorpe. Again, Hollis was there to make a play, nabbing
his second interception of the game. On the next snap — the
final play of the third quarter — Jamias Williams took a John
Jackson pass 59 yards for a score. The Bishops outscored the Pride
39-0 in the third quarter. Several big plays were made, but no
player made more of them than Hollis.

"It is pretty rare to see that many big plays in one game, let
alone in one quarter," said Henninger. "Dwayne's play provided the
spark. He really rose to the occasion and had a great week."

As explosive a playmaker as he can be, Hollis understands that
he has to catch some breaks in order to make an impact. Often,
teams will throw away from him. On special teams, opponents will
find Hollis and kick or punt the ball in the opposite
direction.

"It can be very frustrating," says the All-Region cornerback. "I
feel like I can't help my team when [opponents] kickoff away and
throw away from me."

Rather than let his frustration get the best of him, Hollis has
become a leader. The senior leads the team with four interceptions
and four pass breakups on the season.

"Dwayne is somebody who everybody looks to for guidance and
leadership," said Henninger. "He is as hard-working a player as
I've ever been around."

In the offseason, Hollis worked to complement his speed with
added strength. He put on 15 to 20 pounds to prepare for weekly
battles against his opponents' No. 1 receiver.

"He takes his craft seriously," said Henninger. "He worked
really hard to get stronger. He is a great leader."

As a member of the Bishops' only veteran position group, Hollis
had learned about his own game while teaching his young teammates
how to prepare. Henninger calls this squad his youngest since his
initial roster in 2004. Having a senior like Hollis who leads both
on and off the field will help the program as this year's newcomers
develop over the next four years.

"I'm playing with a lot of freshmen, and I'm trying to help them
learn the importance of discipline," said Hollis. "You have to both
be athletic and watch tons of film."

After the storm

After a tumultuous week of seeking shelter and canceled classes,
it appears that the region is ready to get back to normal this
weekend. Several marquee football matchups should help restore
campuses to a sense of normalcy. Food and clothing drives at many
games will boost recovery efforts for those in the area who were
most affected by the super storm. If you are attending a game this
weekend, please do your part to contribute in any way possible.

Playing from behind, all the way back to the playoffs

No. 5 Wesley has fallen behind early in six of its eight games
this season. For the fifth time this year, the Wolverines rallied
to victory. Heading into the final week of the season against
Apprentice School, Wesley has likely locked up the Pool B playoff
berth awarded to an independent team. It was no easy task, as the
Wolverines fell behind 14-0 to then-No. 16 Huntingdon, the
Wolverines' biggest challenger for the Pool B bid. The Wesley
secondary continued its impressive season, picking off Neal Posey
three times to bring the Wolverines' season total to 18
interceptions. Justin Sottilare tossed two touchdown passes,
including a 51-yarder to track star Matt Bundy who scored for the
second straight week while filling in for the injured Steve
Koudossou. Wesley scored the final 21 points in the 31-21 victory.
It was the Wolverines' 200th win as a Division III program. Having
survived a grueling Division III schedule this season, the
Wolverines will use Saturday's game as a tune-up for the playoffs.
Wesley has reached the national semifinals each of the past three
seasons, but has been unable to break through to the Stagg
Bowl.

Captains back in control

Christopher Newport withstood a strong defensive effort from
North Carolina Wesleyan to avoid the upset and hold on for a 17-10
win. Paul Dukes rushed for 113 yards and a late touchdown to seal
the win. Mason Studer made a field goal and punted five times for
the Captains; none of his punts were returned. Christopher Newport
picked off three John Jackson passes, mitigating the 334 yards and
a score that Jackson produced through the air.

The Captains are back in control of the USA South thanks to the
leg of Methodist's Cody Ausherman. The Monarchs kicker was a
perfect 4-4 on field goals, including a 45-yarder as time expired
to tie the game and force overtime. His 23-yard field goal in
overtime gave the Monarchs a 26-23 road victory over LaGrange. A
sack by Keltcey Richardson on third down forced the Panthers into a
51-yard field goal attempt in their overtime possession. The kick
was no good and Methodist quickly put itself in position to win, as
John Flanagan rushed 17 yards to set up Ausherman's chip shot.

Ferrum defeated Greensboro 35-12 behind four touchdowns (two
rushing, two passing) from quarterback Tim Reynolds. The Panthers
are tied with Christopher Newport at 4-1 in conference play, but
the Captains have the head-to-head win. CNU closes the season at
home against Greensboro and Methodist, while Ferrum finishes at
home against LaGrange and Maryville.

Offensive fireworks

I think that as I typed this, Muhlenberg and Hampden-Sydney each
scored another touchdown. The Mules put up 61 points against
Dickinson, the most Muhlenberg has scored in a game since posting
68 against Franklin and Marshall in 2002. The Tigers scored on
their first nine possessions and 10 of their eleven overall in a
68-24 throttling of Guilford. It was the most Hampden-Sydney has
scored in a game since putting up 82 on Maryville in 2003.

With an overwhelming team performance comes some impressive
individual totals. Muhlenberg's Dan Deighan passed for 325 yards
and two touchdowns. Terrence Dandridge rushed for 112 yards and
three scores. Isaiah Vaughn caught five passes for 149 yards and a
touchdown. Tim Vogel had interceptions on consecutive Dickinson
possessions, the first of which he returned 91 yards to the
Dickinson two yard line. The Mules' defense forced six turnovers.
Hampden-Sydney's Nash Nance passed for 309 yards and five
touchdowns. Holton Walker caught 10 passes for 170 yards and two
scores. Evan King rushed for two touchdowns and caught another. You
may want to put on sunglasses before you look at those box scores
for yourself.

Looking ahead

Johns Hopkins at Franklin and Marshall. This
was supposed to be a de facto Centennial Conference title game.
Instead the Diplomats were surprised by Susquehanna on Oct. 27,
falling 24-17. Mike Ritter caught 10 passes for 168 yards and two
touchdowns to lead the Crusaders' upset. Now, the Blue Jays can
clinch the conference's automatic playoff bid with a win on
Saturday in Lancaster. Johns Hopkins handled Ursinus, a team that
has given the Blue Jays all they can handle in recent years, behind
a banner day for running back Jonathan Rigaud. Rigaud rushed 21
times for 238 yards (11.3 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. The
Diplomats will have their hands full trying to stop Rigaud and
prevent the Blue Jays from celebrating on their field.

Hampden-Sydney at Washington and Lee. I would
call this a de facto title game, but I've learned my lesson about
throwing that term around. The Tigers and Generals are tied atop
the ODAC at 4-1. Washington and Lee wraps up the regular season on
Nov. 10 at home against Shenandoah, the only team winless in the
ODAC. The Tigers, of course, end the season with rival
Randolph-Macon in The Game. The Generals are coming off of a 41-14
pasting of Catholic in which Luke Heinsohn became the school's
career rushing leader. He also was the fourth-leading rusher of the
game, as the nation's top rushing attack piled up 442 yards on the
ground. The Generals' defense stepped up with one of its best
performances to date, holding the Cardinals to 278 yards of total
offense. The defense will need to take it to another level this
week, as Nash Nance and the Hampden-Sydney offense continue to
roll. The Tigers have not punted since the first quarter of their
Oct. 20 win over Shenandoah. Hampden-Sydney has scored 15
touchdowns in the seven quarters since. This ODAC matchup may be
mildly entertaining.

What Did I Miss? Do you know about any upcoming
milestones, big games or new names in the Mid-Atlantic? Please
share them with me. If you have suggestions for next week's column,
please reach out to me on Twitter at @adamturer or via email at
adam.turer@d3sports.com. Enjoy Week 10!